


Life in Death

by matoyo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Boats and Ships, Cute, Inspired by Poetry, M/M, No Smut, POV Tom Riddle, Young Tom Riddle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29588370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matoyo/pseuds/matoyo
Summary: Tom is aboard a ship making its way across the sea. The journey was never going to be easy from the start, but it takes a turn for the worst when a bird can’t seem to leave them alone.The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a work by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, so I decided to make my own spin on it with Tomarry!
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Kudos: 9





	Life in Death

**Author's Note:**

> currently moving all the works i actually like off of wattpad and transferring them to ao3 !
> 
> i wrote this all within a day a gooood while back, so here it is! hope you enjoy, and i will be posting more tomarry (+ drarry and other content!) in the next few days. (:

The day had been warm and the seas ever so rocking in their pattern. There had been no sudden rise in tide and the waves were the same as they always were.  
However, everything changed.  
The wind began to pick up quickly, and the clouds began to darken almost immediately upon the sudden change in air.  
The crew panicked aboard the skip and, in their haste, headed south to avoid the onslaught of wind and water that would follow.  
The ship was fast along the treacherously rough waves, and soon the crew began to see mist cover the ocean's rips and tears of the surface.  
The air began to prickle around them, and it felt heavy.

The ship was surrounded by ice and it would no longer move. It was cold, too cold for where the crew had been trying to go.  
Tom felt panic fill his being as it never had before. They had never ran into this sort of issue and, with Tom's experience, he had never thought this could even occur.

The icy masses littered the sea and all was silent except for the gentle slap of water against the wooden ship. The crew all looked at each other in confusion, their once sweaty faces now becoming pale and their teeth beginning to chatter as they began to talk among themselves of a plan.  
The sound of the ice groaning filled the air, and the cracking began to fill and ring ears of those listening.

It was then that a large bird appeared and cut through the heavy mist and fog, and the crew all looking in amazement at the being.  
The crew began to cheer, as if they had believed the albatross would save them from the doom of the sea'a fatal ice trap.  
Tom heard the whispers that this was a sign of God and the prayers that were quickly uttered in thanks.

The bird was flying in large swooping circles and it disappeared briefly, to which Tom realized the ice was seemingly being split into two!  
The ice crashed into the ocean and groaned as it slid against its other pieces. The sound was deafening, and many of the crew covered their ears.  
Tom looked curiously at the bird and did his best to tune out the ice, his blue eyes never once leaving the bird that took flight.  
The helmsman steered them past the destruction, and soon enough, a wind began to appear.  
This wind was different from before, and no longer did it smell of rain.  
Tom felt his body ease as the ship began to move once more.  
The ship was steered back north.

The albatross did not cease in its flight, and continued to follow the ship even days after the event.

Tom was wary.

It was night when it happened.  
Most of the crew had gone to sleep, though some remained on the deck.

Tom climbed the steps that led to the deck, a crossbow resting upon his shoulder as he lightly made his way in his boots.  
The albatross was on the deck, it's large body nestled against the many boxes that had been placed by one the large poles for the sails. 

He lazily took the crossbow with both hands and trained it on the great white bird.  
A strand of hair fell in front of his forehead, and he felt himself tremble. He felt his arms begin to shake ever so slightly.  
The man heaved a sigh and took a breath, righting his aim.  
His finger brushed against the trigger.  
He pulled it.

The bird let out a deathly squawk, and its eyes began to glisten over as Tom dropped his arms.  
The bird looked at him as if it had known why he had done it, as if it looked at him in judgement.

Tom felt himself become cold.

The sun was beginning to creep up the horizon and the crew began to noisily make their way from below.

The ship was continuing its trip northward, and the south wind was a great aid that helped the ship move forward.  
There was no albatross that followed them.

His cremates began to yell and shout at him as he stood and took the words. His brows were furrowed and his lip curled in distaste.  
Within though, he began to feel regret pour into his body.  
He had not meant to do something so evil, something that he felt could have cursed him.  
He knew now what a mistake it was that he had made.

He let them.

The fog cleared and it was then that the crew began to quiet, and Tom looked towards the sea that now began to become uncovered.  
The mist dissipated, almost as if it had disintegrated in seconds.  
"Maybe the bird was a curse!"  
A blond man spoke up.  
His name was Abraxas, Tom recalled, and he remembered the man had been fond of him at some points, whether it be friendly or for Tom's money.  
He paid no mind to it.  
"A curse?!" Someone spoke out.

"It very well could have been! We thanked god yet we have not yet arrived to where we need be!"  
"Perhaps Riddle lifted the curse!   
The crews spirits were lifted, and the bird was not disposed of.  
They lay what they deemed as the cursed bird to where it had died, and they removed the arrow that had struck it right through the heart.

Tom was not one to be uneasy, but the sight of the broken and bloody bird made him recoil.  
He turned away.

Tom looked over the edge of the railing, his once crisp, white blouse flowing in the wind.  
His hair bounced in the breeze, and he felt goosebumps begin to tickle the back of his neck.  
He watched the sea foam spray into the air, watched the sea be cut open by the ship.  
The waves began to become calm, and everything felt slow, so slow.  
His clothes didn't move nor did a hair on his head. 

Tom was alert, and he turned to look at the ship's masts.  
The cloth was unmoving and they began to droop, as if wind had never existed in the first place.  
Unease and dread began its course.

The days were long and the sea unrelentingly calm.  
All those aboard were devoid of life, and miserable they began to sulk as the hot days stretched on.  
Food became scarce until there was nothing left, and soon, there was no water either.  
There was nothing but crumbs left and the crew grew to be hungry, living on nothing but the humid ocean air.

There were creatures that appeared and, though no one else saw, Tom always spotted them.  
They were slimy things, those creatures. They had limbs, and they never looked back at him when they caught him staring into the ocean's depths.

The sails and masts, although down, were active. There was a static that encased the cloth, and, at night, it was eccentric.

It was one particular day that a spirit appeared and shook the entire crew to its core.  
The spirit was unidentifiable and none could name it, but it followed the ship and its slow progress.  
No one could say much anymore, and all they knew was a dry throat and heavy tongue.

All those on deck crowded around the young Riddle, and Tom felt himself backed into a pole for one of the masts.  
The looks casted towards him were downright evil, and, for the first time in his life, he felt trapped.  
Someone came from the back, and it was blonde man from before, one of Tom's acquaintances.  
He held the albatross.

Tom narrowed his eyes, making the blond pause in his tracks.

Someone took the albatross from him and wrapped rope around its throat before advancing towards Tom.  
His hands were held behind the pole, and he began to thrash in the grasp of the many sea men.  
His hair was grabbed and a rope was slipped around his neck.

The air stunk of the decaying carcass and Tom felt himself gag at the putrid smell.  
It's not like he could escape the smell of the large albatross hung around his neck.  
"You did this to us. You will be punished."  
The words were uttered from a raspy voice, and the crew began to turn their backs on him.

He was disgusted.

For punishment, Tom was cast to be outside nearly all day, for the wretched smell of the carcass around his neck was too overwhelming during the day, when the heat seeped in and stunk the entire hall below and each mate's room.  
He had been resting against one of the many boxes on deck, his body seated and leaning against the pole for support.  
His eyes were closing, closing and they were so heavy in the warmth. He felt as if he were dozing.  
When he opened his eyes, he found he had spotted a blurry outline of something in the distance, a great black blob that made his eyes flutter and his breath catch.

His eyes opened wide, and he scrambled from his place.  
His opened his mouth to shout, to yell at the others but found he could not speak, for his throat was so closed and dry he had nothing to say.  
The ship was fast and moving closer every moment.  
His lips were dry and cracked as he licked them to revive what little thirst could quenched, but to no avail.  
It was then he thought of an idea.

He ripped at the white, puffy sleeves, moving the fabric down his forearm in haste. He moved his forearm to his lips and bit down, his eyes shutting and he urged his jaw to squeeze tighter.  
His teeth broke the barrier of skin and blood began to seep from the wound.  
He sucked at the blood that flowed in a lazy stream, and he finally felt as if he could speak.

"A ship!" He yelled out repeatedly, his voice dry and cracking as he began to hear the fast footsteps of everyone resting as they came nearer to his place on the deck.  
They were all shocked, their jaws slackened.  
They began to look at each other in excitement, and huffs of air were released as some took to laughing in relief.  
For once, Tom felt a smile grace his lips.  
They would finally be free.

"Look! There it is!" His voice was filled with relief, and he turned to look at the ship that seemed to be coming quickly to their aid.  
He turned around, and it was then that some of the crew mates began to back away from the ledge of the deck.  
"There is no wind! How can the ship be moving?"  
Someone's withered whispered, the voice barely heard over the silence of the ocean. 

Tom felt the blood drain from his face, and he saw the look of horror as the other men began to realize that this ship was not a sign from God or their savior.

The ship came nearer and two figures were present.  
A skeleton was cloaked in black, and the sun peered at them through the ribs of the figure.  
A young man stood next to the figure, his arm wound through the bony arm that rested on the railing.  
He was pale and was glowing the white color of sea foam, and his lips were as red as the blood dripping from Tom's forearm. His hair was inky and black and it stood out against his delicate and pronounced features.  
His green eyes peered at Tom from afar.

Tom felt himself clutch onto the railing, his heart racing as he could feel the radiation of darkness that emitted from the cloaked figure.  
Was this truly Death he was seeing?  
He averted his eyes from beautiful figure that stood out even in front of the sun.

The young man threw two objects onto the railing, and with a small smile looked up to the cloaked figure.  
"I've won, and the game has been played..."  
His voice was sweet and everything Tom had missed hearing after being on a ship with gruff men for so long. It was refreshing to hear the melodic charm that came from the young being.

A tune was played from his lips, and the sun disappeared behind the horizon.  
What was sunset was now night, and the sky was no longer the bright colors, but now was dark and full of stars that scattered across the heavens.  
The cloaked figure brought a ghostly hand to the boy's face and stroked the pale cheek, and it was then that the ship immediately took off.  
The figure of the young boy lingered, and it began to approach the ship.

All were entranced by the male, and the crew mates began to look at each other in disbelief.  
It was then that they had all looked up in surprise at the sky after seeing a flash of light.  
The man steering the ship appeared holding a lantern, and his face was pale as he turned his head towards the moon. 

His body dropped to the wooden floor, and the aged wood creaked at his weight.  
His body tumbled down the steps and the lantern he held fell.  
It spiraled and came to be in-between the sea men, and all looked to Tom, who stood and was lit by the beacon of light.  
Narrowed eyes and furrowed brows gleamed at him in the darkness, and he drew a breath in shock.

The bodies around him began to drop the ground with loud thumps, and the deck was scattered with the bodies of his crew mates that would no longer move.  
He let out a startled shout and stumbled back, tripping over one of the many ship mates he had voyaged with for years.  
Abraxas' face peered back at him from beneath his body, and Tom felt himself become pale and sick.

He shakily stood with the support from the railing, and he began to heave over the edge of the ship. His stomach was empty, and so he dry heaved until he could no longer hold himself up.  
He collapsed on the deck and his eyes grew wide as he watched ghostly apparitions from the bodies fly into the night sky.  
It was as if the souls of the sailors left their anchored bodies.

He crawled away from the bodies as far as he could, and it was then he looked up.  
The young man was seated on a wooden box, looking at him from above with a gentle smile that entranced the young Riddle.  
His green eyes were bright, brighter than the lantern that had long since gone out.  
He was bright himself, and his skin seemed to emit its own type of glow.  
He was dressed in a white gown that flowed with every movement and hung around his body, yet conformed to his shape.  
The ethereal being moved towards him and, with the lightest of touches, removed the albatross from his neck.

"Have you realized just what you've done?" The voice was soft and airy, and Tom felt his face flush at the contact.  
"I've made a mistake." He uttered, his eyes fixed onto the green eyes that looked at him in curiosity.  
"You've made a grave mistake." The boy agreed, and he ran a gentle hand through the curls on Tom's head.  
"You've upset nature...and for that you must pay." 

"Pay." Tom repeated, his brows furrowing as he clenched his eyes shut. 

"You were wary, too wary." The raven haired boy spoke, and the hand moved from his head to his chin, the ghostly fingers light and teasing as they stroked his skin.  
"It had followed us..." he murmured back, feeling his tense body begin to soften in the being's grasp.

There was a tender laugh, and Tom opened his eyes to see the red lips stretched into a small smile.  
"Yes, it had."  
In one moment, Tom felt and smelt disgusting, he knew his hair was matted from the lack of showers and his skin covered in blood from both his forearm and the dead bird.  
In the next, he was clean, and his throat no longer felt as if it was dried and decayed.  
He felt clean and better than before, though still shaky and weak.

"I would like you to come with me."

Tom looked at the glowing and magical boy in surprise and confusion.  
"I killed the albatross." He stared, as if the other did not understand what had occurred.  
"Oh, I know." The other responded, and his hands helped Tom up as he rose from his seat. 

Tom rose to full height and found that he was taller than the ethereal being.  
He felt strangely about it, as the thin and short man radiated powerful energy, but was a small figure.  
He found no complaints in it and instead let his arms hang at his side.

"You are quite the sight when you're tidied." The glowing boy smiled slyly, his hand holding onto Tom's own.  
He felt his face flush.  
He'd never been interested in anyone before, and never had he felt so intensely enamored.

"I am nothing compared to you. You are a lily in a garden of darkness, glowing and bright and unrelentingly beautiful." Tom's words rushed form between his lips, and he felt his breath leave him as he was able to fully see the pure being so closely.

The being looked embarrassed for a moment, and the pale cheeks filled with color as the eyes locked onto his, but seemed to want to hide in shyness.  
"You are too charming, Tom Riddle."  
He felt alert at the mention of his name before recalling that this was no human. He was not speaking to a real young man...he was speaking to a being. 

"What are you called?" Tom insisted, feeling his thirst for knowledge return after being trapped on a ship for so long with nothing to learn.  
"I am...called Harry if we term this to human names. Perhaps it's best you wait on my true name." He spoke at last, and Tom felt himself become enthralled at the idea of him knowing the human name of an entity.  
"Harry..." he let the name roll of his tongue, and the boy looked, for a moment, as if he wanted to say something.  
He paused, and it was then that he finally made his decision.  
"I will make you mine." Harry stated without elaboration, and his small hand reached up to Tom's neck, drawing the man near.  
He craned his down to reach the shorter figure and his forehead rested against the wisps of soft, black hair that covered the pale forehead.  
"Kiss me."  
The words were breathed against his chin and tickled their way up up to his ears, and he became excited at the prospect.  
Him, kissing a being so heavenly and divine? 

With shaky hands, his long fingers gently ran across the pale cheeks, and green eyes looked at him with a tenderness he had not known before. The dark eyelashes fluttered against the pale skin, and Tom cradled his head between his hands before moving down.  
He sealed their lips in a kiss and, in that moment, he forgot about the dead men on the ship. He forgot about the albatross.  
He felt as if he were out of his body, as if he were floating and there was nothing to hold onto.  
His eyes were closed and he threaded his fingers through the inky hair, being as light with his touches as he could be, as he felt the boy was frail even with his power.

The ship set sail in the night.

It would return to land, back to where a hermit who lived nearby would discover the remnants of the ship.  
And on the ship, he would see an ethereal light and a familiar figure standing next to it before they disappeared and the ship, which began to twist at a dizzying speed, would disappear into the dark depths of the sea.


End file.
